Golf course land can be used for Tan Son Nhat airport expansion

The Hanoitimes - The golf course land located next to Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City could be used for the airport expansion, said Vietnamese official.

Authorities can close a golf course nearby Tan Son Nhat Airport for extending the airport, specified Minister-Chairman of the Govenrment Office Mai Tien Dung during the government meeting, on April 2.
According to Dung, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc decided that, the airport can be expanded to both the south and north. “If necessary, we must take the land of the golf course to upgrade the airport”.
As decided by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc during government meeting on March 28, Tan Son Nhat International Airport will be expanded to the south with a third passenger terminal, as recommended by the French consultant ADPI.

Illustrative photo

The new terminal will have a floor area of 200,000 square metres and will be able to handle 20 million passengers a year, adding to the current capacity of 25 million, despite the capacity of 36 million passengers last year.
Besides, the land to the north of Tan Son Nhat, which includes a golf course and a 16-hectare lot controlled by the Ministry of Defense, will be used as a cargo terminal and support facilities after 2025.
The expansion is estimated to cost VND18 trillion (US$792 million) and is expected to be completed by 2025. The extended Tan Son Nhat airport is expected to serve at least 50 million passengers a year.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc emphasised that the chosen plan proves the highest efficiency in land and capital use, as well as guaranteeing technical, security and safety issues. According to ADPI, the construction of a terminal to the north of the airport would cost double and take longer, while the new terminal would be separate from the two existing terminals, making landing and take-off procedures less efficient.Tan Son Nhat now has two terminals serving 32 million passengers annually, well above its designed capacity of 25 million. It only has two runways that are sometimes closed due to flooding or lightning strikes. The airport also has space for only 57 aircraft at a time. Previously, in July 2017, Aeroports de Paris (ADP), parent company of ADPi, acquired 20% total shares of Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), and became strategic partner of this corporation.